We are back with several updates, starting with a new family photo showing the family looking out the window of their new home, Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace .

The Daily Mail

Prince George wears a personalized jumper (sweater) in the new picture from Jason Bell, who also shot the christening pictures. Kate wears a blouse we saw during the Calgary Stampede, the Temperley (aptly named) Rodeo Shirt.

PA Wire/Net-a-Porter

The silk and cotton blouse originally sold for $660, our photos come via Net-a-Porter, where it was described as “Cut from a gossamer silk and cotton-blend and trimmed with lace, Temperley’s ivory shirt will instantly soften every look.”

In other news William, Kate and Harry all attended the wedding of Lucy Meade and Charlie Budgett in Marshfield, Gloucestershire, about two hours west of London.

Jesal – Tanna/Splash News

Kate wore her Whistles Bella dress for the occasion, she is seen wearing it below at the London 2012 Closing Ceremony.

John Stillwell/WPA-Rota/Press Association Images

Both the bride and groom were guests at William and Kate’s wedding. The bride’s father is Olympic equestrian Richard Meade, her brother James is a close friend of William’s dating back to the boys’ days at Eton. The groom is what as known as a bloodstock agent, that is someone who buys and sells thoroughbred horses. Kate accessorized with the John Lock & Co. Fairy Tale hat we have seen previously, as well as her suede Mulberry clutch.

It turns out Kate wasn’t the only one wearing that Missoni coat for today’s nuptials, another guest also sported the tweed garment. (A tip of the tiara to Niraj Tanna of Ikon Pictures for noting the additional guest in the Missoni coat.)

Jesal/Tanna/SplashNews.com

Also today, news that British retailer Hobbs, a brand Kate wears regularly, is now being offered in the USA at 5 Bloomingdale’s stores. Below, the Hobbs area at the Chestnut Hill Bloomies.

In other Duchess-related fashion news, another story examines the impact celebrities can have on retail sales, including brief discussion of what is often called the Kate Effect. The article is in the Bath Chronicle:

When the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out on Valentine’s Day in that electric blue Detroit L K Bennett dress, the store saw an enormous spike in sales.

Fashion coverage of both the Middleton sisters is relentless and the fact that they champion affordable high street fashion has been hugely beneficial to brands like Whistles, Reiss and Hobbs.

We move now to news about the upcoming New Zealand and Australia tour. This week’s issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly showcases the upcoming tour. The publication shared covers showing both Prince George (l) and Prince William (r) as infants. William’s photo dates to 1982.

Australian Women’s Weekly

The magazine’s deputy editor, Juliet Riedan, wrote the issue’s cover story on the upcoming tour. Included in her piece are thoughts about the royal visit from Australia’s Prime Minister, Tony Abbot:

When asked if Prince George might become the tour’s major attraction, Mr. Abbott responded “Quite possibly.”

Mr. Abbott reminded people that “It’s not the British monarchy, it’s the Australian monarchy.”

In a sign of the times, New Zealand’s Governor-General has announced there will be a social media reporter for the his country’s portion of the tour, posting this graphic on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I don’t know if everyone will adopt the #RoyalVisitNZ hashtag (a way to track certain topics on social media), they can take on a life of their own.

Office of the Governor-General, New Zealand

The Governor-General’s office will be providing information this Monday about the best locations to see the royals. That info will trickle out on an hour-by-hour basis, the graphic below shows the times information will be released. (A reminder that Wellington is 17 hours ahead of EDT, 20 hours ahead of PDT.)

Office of the New Zealand Governor-General

Also on Monday, tickets will be distributed for some venues William and Kate will be visiting, including Regal Rugby Fun Day in Dunedin, located on the country’s South Island.

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Next, Josh Goot, an Australian designer many expect the Duchess might wear. Perth Fashion’s Michelle Forrest details traits found in his designs:

he is known for his “Fashion forward bold colours and digital prints, similar to Peter Pilotto…Prabal Gurung”

his silhouettes “are very much favoured by Kate: high necklines, three-quarter sleeves, knee to midi-length”

Below left, the Marissa Zip Detail Dress ($695), with many design elements Kate likes: it is fitted with multiple darts, it has both a slit and an exposed zipper . On the right, the company’s Dali Square Neck dress ($425), also with many features the Duchess likes.

I did discover a 2014 style that is quite similar to the Sliver sandal worn on 2011’s N. America tour for the polo match in Santa Barbara. We show the Sliver on the far left, next to it is this year’s Sandy style. One other notable shoe is the Harper, worn by Kate in light taupe for a July 2012 reception. We show the Harper in black, only because LK Bennett’s website says “As seen on the Duchess of Cambridge,” and I don’t recall her wearing this particular shoe in black. (As an FYI, the UK site shows the black suede on sale for £115, about $195 but it is not on sale at the US site where it is priced at $345.) I have long thought this style a decent copyKate for the Corkswoon.

LK Bennett

As always, there’s no shortage of heel heights for simple pumps, from left to right: Amy has a 4″ heel ($445), the Alice heel is 3″ ($325) and both are from LK Bennett’s Black Ribbon collection, the brand’s higher-end shoe group. The diminutive Florisa is more of a kitten heel, measuring just 2.5″ ($325).

There are plenty of party shoes in the spring/summer lineup: the Sophia Crystal Mesh Heel ($795) is covered with glittering Swarovski crystals, the Paige again, but in metallic silver ($385), while the Addie is a fun sandal with a heel just under 3″ ($345).

Comments

I don’t have time to read through all the comments right now, so I don’t know if I’m repeating here…but anyway…I don’t like the portrait. Kate’s & William’s smiles look fake and their faces look like they have been airbrushed or something. I don’t know, the whole thing is just overly staged and fake looking. Just one gal’s opinion!

Does anyone else note how mcuh better the Missioni coat fits the Duchess of Cambridge that it does the other guest who was wearing it? Makes me suppose that all of the DofC’s clothes are re-tailored to fit her perfectly, even if they are ready-to-wear pieces. If you buy something you’ve seen the DofC in, it very likely won’t look nearly as well on you, even if you have a figure similar to hers.

That’s an astute point, Sandie, but I would add that such is true of all clothes everywhere, whether they are Replikates or not. Ready-to-made clothing will never be as flattering as a bespoke piece or an item that has been tailored to your specific proportions. One of the commenters on the WKW Facebook page with experience in tailoring once posted photos of the Duchess wearing an item beside the same piece as it appeared on the runway and marked in red all the subtle fit changes that had been made to cater to the Duchess’s figure. The photos were really enlightening.

A real case can be made for the wisdom in investing in a few, high-quality items and taking the time to get them fitted to your shape. Proportion is often most important: simple details like hem and sleeve lengths can make a huge difference in how flattering an item appears on you.

Which is why I have a very good tailor on call Your clothes, too, can look custom-fitted if you find a good tailor.

The last item I had significantly tailored was a coat from Reiss, one of the Duchess’s oft-worn labels. I imagine that she does have to have alterations done fairly often because of her long-waistedness.

Since the Duchess and the Other Lady were at the same wedding, I would think she could also afford tailoring for her coat if she wanted. The coat is a couple years old so perhaps the lady has lost some weight or maybe she likes her clothes more loose than the Duchess likes her clothes. There could be a number of reasons the coat looked “better” on one lady than the other. I don’t agree. I think the Other Lady looks just fine, except for those SHOES!!! Ghastly! Much too summery for this time of year, especially in England.

Thanks so much for this post, Susan. I wonder if you and our commentariat have seen this lovely little article over at Vogue speculating on what Kate will wear–including shoes!! I would love to see the return of her bright red Adidas trainers from the London Olympics for the more informal events (light hiking around Ayers Rock?) and would die, just die if she elected to wear a dress by Preen. I’ve always loved their use of prints, and after Kate surprised me (pleasantly!) with that gorgeous purple print Prabal Gurung on her last royal tour, I think she has it in her.

If anyone is interested, it’s a nice, quick read. No one holds a candle to our Susan, though!

You seem to be suggesting that we shouldn’t enjoy engaging each other on various points of style. I hope that’s not the case. The more such engagement the better as far as I’m concerned.

I’d rather do that than engage in discussions of whether the Cambridges should have gone on vacation to the Maldives or other subjects that, frankly, most people here are not really qualified to discuss, and don’t wish to discuss, because we don’t know them and are not privy to the budgetary discussions in Parliament and so forth.

I like this site because it’s about fashion only. If I want to comment on other matters regarding the British royal family — as I sometimes do because I travel there and am sometimes asked why I am bothering with a professional project that involves British royal history and art — I don’t do it here, I do it on serious British newspaper and journal sites.

As always I do like this blog and all the comments therein. One minor error which is in a few places. The Australian designer is Josh Goot (instead of Groot). Sorry to be a pedant. Looking forward to seeing Kate wearing some Australian designers. I am sure they will love Australia – it is such a lovely place.

I absolutely love the portrait, however, I’m not a fan of the editing that was done on it. Their skin tones do not look natural. So much that it takes away quite a bit from the portrait. It almost looks like an Instagram filter was put on top of it.

Somewhere (Daily Mail or perhaps Daily Beast?) over the weekend I read that the photograph looked as if an Instragram filter had been applied. The article was making the claim that such a photography choice was in line with Will and Kate’s trend of being more accessible and modern royals.

Just wanted to add what a lovely family portrait of the Cambridges I think that is – it arrived after I’d posted – and is one of the best I’ve seen. It’s such a lovely composition with so much movement in it, each participant angled differently but all a part of the whole. It’s a real classic by Jason Bell and one I feel could hold its own in the state rooms at Windsor Castle where all the mighty van Dycks are hung!

I disagree. This looks so artificial- just like the baptism photos- photographer is terrible. In the baptism pic they all lokked like dolls- only baby looked natural ,most likely because he had no lines to be smoothed out! They must like this fake look to choose him again!!!

I actually agree that it can hang with the van Dycks (which I had to Google) — but only because it’s so overly retouched that it practically looks like a painting, and not a contemporary photo. I wonder if this was the intention? It’s very nice, otherwise.

Thanks for your comments. I’ve been surprised at the number of people who find this portrait contrived as I’m afraid I still remain a fan! I can’t see how anything other than pure chance or luck could result in the baby looking round at the dog like that, plus the loose strands of Kate’s hair and the firm grasp of her hand around her baby son are more than enough natural detail for me.

I’m afraid I hadn’t thought the skin tones looked particularly unnatural either, and the whole thing is a million miles from the craftily contrived Snowden shot of Charles, Diana and the boys in full faux-country gear under a large tree with picnic hamper by their side, in which the photographer subtly underlined the artificiality of Charles’s marriage even as the matrimonial cracks were beginning to show.

Hmm. As a specialist in the Baroque, I’m not sure Anthony van Dyck himself would recognize the photograph as somehow akin to his own, considerably more formal and elegant aesthetic sensibility in portraiture. I quite like it, but personally, I think it just belongs in one of the private sitting rooms instead of competing with, say, “The Children of Charles I”.

I can quite understand that the view of a baroque specialist would vary from my own musings! I was probably thinking more of the times I was dragged round those state apartments every time we had visitors to the house as they all wanted to be taken to the castle.

At that stage I would stand and just stare at the huge portraits and wonder what on earth I was supposed to like — in fact looking at them again now it’s strange how strong the feeling of recognition is. I must have really done some staring! And it goes without saying that a relaxed photo like the one above would have been a profound relief to one very small and confused person who would much rather have been out playing with friends.

I still think the photo is well composed along quite classic lines and admire the amount and lines of movement and even a sense of narrative, at however modest a level.

How many good news!
First of all, I love the photo .. although as someone said the effect seems a bit fake .. in any case George is cute … I’d still like to see a picture of the three of them only without the dog ..
As for the marriage are not entirely convinced of the outfit: the dress is cute but a little ‘easier for the wedding … I love the coat but with something more sporty (ex jeans) .. I find it more suitable a middle-aged lady in a dress ..
In addition, the earrings are totally wrong .. while the set is classic and straightforward, the earrings are too special .. out of place.
In any case, I am always happy to see our Duchess .. she is always adorable and inspiring ..

I love the portrait. Just beautiful. As a dog person, I’m especially glad to see Lupo included again, given that this portrait is more formal that the first.

Is an 8-month old considered a toddler? I realize the term comes from “toddling” but I thought any age under a year is still considered infancy. I have no kids, obviously.

As for turning up in the same coat as another guest, I hope both ladies had a good laugh about it and posed for a photo together. Then perhaps they complemented each other for having such good taste (I LOVE that coat).

I really hope that she ran into the lady who had the same coat as her and had a good chuckle about it. The Duchess seems like the kind of person that wouldn’t be bothered by someone wearing the same thing as her.

That IS a lovely family photo, but I feel I have to point out that while Prince George is looking at Lupo, Lupo is NOT looking at him. He’s looking at something beyond the frame, something that we can’t see.

As an art historian, I tend to be something of a stickler about what’s really going on in a picture.

That Temperley blouse has a sort of faux peasant-y flavor of a sort that’s never appealed to me. Garments like that — especially at a price that high — always make me think of Marie Antoinette dressing up like a milkmaid at Hameau de la Reine. *Shudder*.

Really? Even if the blouse is named the “Rodeo” shirt (which I find unfortunate, if apt), all of the exquisite detailing on the top, in addition to the apparent high-quality fabric, makes the high price point very believable, at least in my opinion. Last I checked, peasants rarely wear lace, and the same was true of peasants in late eighteenth-century France. (I imagine they avoid the color white, too.)

I think that was my point: peasants rarely, if ever, wear lace, except in the imagination of, perhaps, fairy-tale authors and queens pretending to be milkmaids and whatnot. And, of course, faux peasant garments made for royalty will cost rather a lot of money.

Though from a historian’s point of view, I do have to add that the word “peasant” is incorrectly associated with poverty. In fact, coming from Romance language terms for “countryside,” it merely referred to people who lived off the land, in the country, meaning that the term could sometimes refer to prosperous farmers — people who could afford rather nice lace.

Regardless of the etymology of the word “peasant,” I’m still confused as to why you think this particular blouse appears “faux peasant-y”. Of course, I don’t want to harp here; I was just interested in your viewpoint. I know that there is a particular type of top that is generally referred to as a “peasant top,” but I’ve generally thought of those as having an elasticized neckline with a loose fit, whereas this top has a very fitted silhouette.

I’m rather partial to the top myself (when worn without a cowboy hat…), as it strikes me as a versatile piece that could be worn in a professional setting and casually, though I tend to steer clear of sheer tops that require camisoles, since I live in a very warm climate. I almost prefer the Whistles blouse she wore in one of her engagement photographs, as it doesn’t appear to require a camisole. Then again, the detailing on the Temperley top is vastly superior (certainly a reflection of the near 500 pound price difference between the two tops).

I have had something of a passion in white blouse tops with detailed seaming, spoke stitching and lace variations ever since I purloined a fabulous one of my mother’s which I wore to bits and have never found fabric or detailing to match in quality. I’ve still no idea what the fabric was, some sort of unbelievably fine sheer linen perhaps, it came with its own camisole. It was just in recent years that tops like the Temperley came back on the market with similar detailing, though the Temperley is a typical example of a collarless style and I still hanker after an old-fashioned short-sleeve blouse!

But I’d agree that quality of fabric and workmanship would account for a hefty price tag, and I also think the Temperley version seems ideally suited to official portrait use. That sort of exquisite work seems more princess-y to me than peasant, though I also share the irritation with fashions that attempt the “faux” look, whether heroin-chic or poverty-chic of any sort!

Perhaps my use of the word “peasant” merely confused you, though googling “lace peasant blouse” did bring up some lacy examples in varying designs, items one wouldn’t have expected the average peasant to have in her clothes chest way back when.

This is called the “Rodeo” blouse? It might have made more sense if I’d called it “faux cowboy” (something Ralph Lauren tends to like to do, alongside his “faux WASP” designs). In any case, we’re still talking about a pretend “country-style” look, with high-end and expensive embellishments like lace and embroidery — something no real cowboy would ever wear, though I suppose a rodeo performer might.

Oh, I see what you mean now. However, I’m afraid my own sartorial choices tend to incorporate “faux” looks quite often: faux nautical, faux English country looks, faux tribal-inspired print tops, etc. all feature prominently in my wardrobe. Riding boots and topsiders are some of my very favorite shoes, and I’ve neither been on a horse nor a boat in the recent past and have no future horse/boating plans. Yet I would stress that I do pay careful attention so that I don’t veer into costume territory.

I think I secretly wish that I had been born on an English estate or, alternately, lived somewhere on the East coast where heading out on the yacht was a regular activity. Even if in my real life I’m a land-locked grad student, at least I can dream in my clothes!

Well, hello people! Thanks for your discussion too and now you put it like that there’s a fair amount of “faux” about in the average wardrobe! Much of what you describe is maybe often described as” referencing” in fashion terms.

But I fear I’ve strayed into a divide that probably conveniently classes things I like as “genuine” and the ones I’m not so keen on as “faux”…

And at that point I fear straying into deep waters of psychology and sociology — at which point it’s high time I fixed myself a cup of coffee

That photo is adorable. I love George’s personalized jumper, and I love even more the cute, contemplative gaze between him and the pup.

It’s nice to see the Missoni tweed coat out and about again; the coat has a nice spring feel to it, and it looks great paired with the black accessories. I’m less of a fan of those earrings paired with this coat. The coat has a classic vibe (though the frayed edges certainly deliver something edgy to the mix) and the earrings feel too boho for the coat. I wish she had worn her Annoushka pearls for this outing. I’ve never liked the Whistles dress, since it just looks cheap to me.

I really enjoyed scrolling through the LK Bennett shoe offerings. I appreciate well-constructed, classic footwear, and the Harper in taupe always makes me drool (although I imagine you would have to be so diligent to keep them from getting dingy!). However, I should add that I’ve never actually purchased any LK Bennett shoes, so I’ve never had to experience the brand’s rumored lack of quality. Their shoes may very well be poorly made, but you can’t tell from the promo photos, so I will continue to enjoy 🙂

ElizaMo, I think you can do better than the Bally dress, especially for that price! It has a slightly “mother of the bride” feel to it. I feel your pain about dressing for a wedding though; it is indeed a tight-rope walk.

Agree with you about the photo and the earrings. Thought the coat looked a little bit too frayed this time, but I think the photos were backlit so the frayed seams looked rougher.

Agree, too, about the Bally dress! I find weddings so daunting, I’m disinclined to go for traffic-stopping colours but fear guests who do and then look down their noses at my oh-so-tasteful greys, or wotever!! Too bad, I guess, I know my own comfort zone.

Dressing for weddings is such a nightmare. I feel as if many of the old rules (no black, for instance) have gone out the window, and it can all be really confusing. A few months ago, I was surprised to find that In Style magazine recommended a white dress for a wedding. It was a casual dress, but my eyes still boggled. I would say where what you please and don’t pay any attention to judgmental guests (or, even better, pilfer their pieces of wedding cake while they are looking down their noses at you!).

and I love the Missoni coat, too. I have grown quite fond of the Duchess’ way of repeating pieces of her enviable wardrobe- (which, literally, are significant investments !). in my opinion, she strikes the right balance of ‘new’ and ‘old’ pieces.. I also enjoy that I ‘recognize’ the repeats ! thanks to this lovely site.

Babies often lose the set of hair they are born with. My son was born with a full head of hair, only to lose most of it at around 8 or 9 months. He is 11 now and has the thickest, fastest growing hair I’ve ever seen. (He did not get it from me).

Eliza Beth, look at photos of little Princess Estelle of Sweden. She barely had hair when she turned a year old. Now that she’s two, it’s starting to grow in. I thought George had quite a nice head of hair, actually. More than his dad 🙂

The nice thing about the photos we’ve seen about George is that he’s an alert and animated baby. He wiggles and smiles and looks around him. Hoping we’ll see him crawl or maybe even toddle in Australia/New Zealand.

I’ve always loved that coat and I agree that Kate should consider pairing it with jeans or a pair of slim black pegged pants. The texture-casual mix is a classic: think of the Chanel jacket/jeans combos we’ve seen over the years.

Brenda, I completely agree with your suggestion that this coat would look stunning paired with jeans or trousers. I continue to wish that the Duchess would incorporate some dress trousers into her looks, especially on days when the wind is particularly gusty or she has to exit an airplane amidst photographers. Certainly, I would want her to be careful about appearing too “corporate,” but other royals have managed to don trousers to fantastic effects (I’m thinking primarily of Princess Charlene of Monaco) so I don’t see why our equally clothes-savvy Duchess cannot do the same, unless trousers are verboden by the Queen.

That’s a good point, Ashley. We rarely see the Duchess in pants, unless they are jeans. It’s possible that she doesn’t think she looks good in trousers. Or, perhaps she doesn’t feel natural in them.

I’m in that camp. I had to wear pantsuits constantly in my corporate job, and now that I’m not longer working for a big company, I’m very happy to be wearing dresses nearly all the time, and jeans occasionally.

Thanks so much for your encouragement, but now the excellent Lili has spoken it seems we must quietly leave LKB Bally to hang on the rail. I think your point is valid about royalty, the bold colour would surely stand out in any throng, and might possibly fall into the stop-the-traffic category, perhaps more mother-of-the-bride.

I tend to be at home in muted tones, but that’s my problem – weddings seem to need such very distinct outfits, and how to find the balance between sobriety and celebration?!

I am crazy about that Missoni coat, which is proving rather versatile, and I liked the Whistles dress when the Duchess wore it to an Olympics event. Those Bella dresses, made of stretch silk, actually fit rather snugly, and I’d have been delighted to buy one when I had the chance had it not been for the fact that they are a little short for me.

I’d love to see the Duchess wear the Missoni coat with jeans, since I’m a fan of mixing the very casual with rather fancier items. I own a few elegant tweed pieces that I like to wear with skinny jeans as well as with dressier clothes.

However, I’ve never cared for those earrings. They always seem to strike the wrong note no matter what the Duchess wears them with. They seem, to me, at least, out of place in her earring wardrobe, even a bit cheap looking, which, I realize, is a ludicrous thing to say about jewelry that costs well upwards of 1,000 pounds. But if you’re going to spend that much on a pair of earrings, they should certainly look higher-end than those do.

The Josh Groot Silk Gazaar Flare-Back dress is delicious; I’ll be coveting it for months. It’s a terrific silhouette, and in my view, if you’re going to do floral prints, they should be spectacularly dramatic, just like that, instead of fussy and sweet. But as I’ve commented before, the Duchess doesn’t do edgy and progressive, and Groot’s work is edgy. Then again, she might just surprise us. I truly wish she would.

LK Bennett? Eh. (Or “meh,” I’m never quite sure how best to indicate in print a slightly bored shrug.) I’m still unimpressed by LKB’s quality, and that Bally dress is astonishingly boring, though somewhat suggestive of Jacqueline Kennedy on one or two of her tours abroad during her husband’s presidency. I do like the Marissa Zip Detail dress — very sleek and sophisticated — but each time I see an LKB piece that interests me, it is either not available in the US or it turns out to be, in terms of quality, nothing I would buy.

Still, several of these pieces do look like possible Duchess choices. The first time I saw that striped Dallas dress, I thought it might be something that would appeal to her.

It’s a treat to get an all too rare glimpse of Kate again, these have been lean times of late. I still like that coat and she has accessorised well with the clutch and gorgeous hat. I like the pattern of the dress peeking through, though I’m glad not to see the whole garment again — a bit shapeless I thought.

Very glad to see Josh Goot get a mention, really like his ideas, there are some good clear silhouettes there and interesting prints, but, as you say, possibly a bit out of the way for the Duchess.

And thanks for the LK Bennett tips,,,thinks, would that pink Bally dress do for my niece’s wedding? Hmmm.